It was always about more than saving dogs.
When Kailua-Kona resident Tasi Autele sat down with his daughter Finnley, at the Hawaii Island Humane Society on a recent day and reluctantly told her that some pets never find homes, the girl took the news with a child’s faith.
“She went around and talked to all the dogs,” said Autele. “She said, ‘my daddy’s not going to let anything happen to you.’”
And when Finnley, 4, returned, she looked her father squarely in the eyes and asked, “Right, Dad?”
Autele smiled, squirmed, and made a promise he didn’t have any idea if he could keep.
“That’s right, sweetie.”
Weeks of brainstorming followed with his wife, Tricia, with the couple deciding to try to create a program inspired by Maui Humane Society’s Wings of Aloha Transfer Program.
On Friday, three dogs boarded an Alaska airlines flight from Kona to Portland, bound for the Columbia Humane Society in Sandy, Oregon. Among the departing was Luke, a shy, placid four-year-old Catahoula who had been dropped off during the night at HIHS.
The shipment marked the sixth animal that Autele’s newly formed Big Island Dog Rescue has placed with the Oregon facility since it started operating at the beginning of February.
“What’s going on in the Pacific Northwest is that there is a huge demand and no supply,” said Columbia shelter manager Dean Cox, reached by phone. “We bring 40 dogs up in a van load at a time from L.A. What Tasi is doing is easy to manage.”
Eventually, Autele would like to transport dogs from overburdened shelters around the state to mainland facilities with high adoption rates.
It’s taken a lot of work, and it’s going to take more. Autele has maxed out credit cards, and he estimates he’s spent 12 to 15 hours a day getting the venture registered and legal, setting up ways for people to donate and networking between HIHS and the mainland.
It costs about $450 to ship each dog by cargo, and Autele is seeking volunteers to fly dogs as checked luggage to Portland, and volunteers willing to fly back with empty pet carriers.
“The infrastructure is in place now,” he said.
Big Island Dog Rescue has also had a lot help, both in planning and execution, from HIHS and the Columbia facility. People are starting to notice the website and Facebook page, and word of mouth about the initiative is spreading. A donor in Connecticut sent over $400 this past week, Autele said.
Others have helped with creating and promoting an online presence. Autele has sent out numerous feelers to humane societies around the mainland, and facilities in Colorado and Montana have registered interest.
Autele said the HIHS has been essential in getting his initiative off the ground. The organization’s director Dona Whitaker said spay and neuter programs continue to address the problem of pet overpopulation, but there are still too many animals that need homes.
“On average, there are 40 dogs available for adoption at islandwide shelters each month,” she said. “Some of these dogs may be at risk when not enough people come forward to adopt.”
Whitaker said Big Island Dog Rescue represents an opportunity for HIHS to connect with mainland shelters.
“Too many dogs never find permanent homes and we are reaching out to further partnerships with organizations such as Aloha Ilio Rescue in Hilo and with shelters on the mainland,” she said.
HIHS is in the process conducting due diligence, vetting potential mainland sheltering agencies, researching transportation and developing internal protocols to make certain the outcome is positive for every dog that leaves the island, Whitaker said.
“We’re launching this collaboration slowly and very responsibly,” she said.
Whitaker added: “We really can’t say this enough – spay and neuter is the most effective way to eliminate pet overpopulation on an island.”
But finding loving homes for the dogs that are already here has always been a big part of that equation. And by helping put needy animals in good hands, Autele is able to hold onto something else.
“So now, my little girl is running around, thinking this is just the way things work,” he concluded. “I’m going to keep this magic as long as I can where she thinks I can move mountains.”
On the web: bigislanddogrescue.com.
Tasi Autele’s phone: 808-430-4143